Hate To Have You Love Me
by Wildcard
Summary: Bakura hates Ryou, who won't stop loving him. In despair, he turns to Kaiba for help. RyouBakura, SetoRyou, BakuraSeto, violence, yaoi, twisted humor.
1. Please Stop

Love equals Pain

"Will. You. Fucking. Stop. Forgiving. Me?!" Bakura growled, punctuating each word by slamming Ryou against the wall.   
  
"I-I'm sorry-"  
  
"And stop apologizing!" With that final command, Bakura let Ryou slide down the wall onto the floor, and curl up into the fetal position.  
  
"You make me sick. I can't stand to even have to be in the same room as you." This time, he placed emphasis on his words with a few vicious kicks. Ryou flinched each time, but didn't move to protect himself, having learnt that resistance, although what Bakura seemingly demanded, only served to further irk the tomb robber.  
  
Bakura angrily stormed across the room, and left, but not before pitching a (luckily empty) vase at where Ryou was lying. Even this didn't elicit a response.   
  
_'I hate him. I hate him so fucking much. He won't strike me back, he won't defend himself, he just curls up and looks at me with those big dopey eyes, as if he's expecting me to suddenly stop and comfort him. He just lies there, taking my blows, absorbing my abuse, and struggling to not try to reassure me. How dare he do that?! I'm the one hurting him, I'm his enemy, and he just stays there, crumpled up and sending out waves of love towards me.   
  
He won't stop it! I've tried everything but begging him to stop loving me. Doesn't he understand what it's like for someone like me to feel loved? He probably does and that's why he continues, because he knows it annoys me, he knows it hurts me, it's like an itch in a place you can't reach. So I try to make him hate me, I hurt him, I endanger his friends, I mock him day and night, but he still forgives me, he still loves me.  
  
No matter what I do I can't exterminate the vague feeling, the unspoken hope that someday everything will be alright and that I'll repent and be like Yugi's yami. HAH! I would have to have gotten stuck with an optimistic hikari who for some irrational reason of his own decides to fall in love with me. I hate him. I hate him so fucking much.' _Bakura then fell to repeating those last two phrases continuously, having managed to leave the house and put enough distance between himself and his hikari that he was no longer tempted to strangle Ryou. Not that he hadn't already, it was just that this time he doubted his ability to stop before actually killing Ryou.   
  
Bakura didn't care so much if Ryou stood up for himself or not, although that had been his aim at the start. Now, he was just desperately trying to stop Ryou from caring about him, from being compassionate, kind, forgiving - all those things that were anathema to his nature.   
  
After all, what was the point of being evil and sadistic if people would love you despite it? It wasn't even as if it was those qualities that Ryou admired in him, rather they were the ones that Ryou feared, but did that keep his hikari at arms-length? NO! Ryou just couldn't do the smart thing and stay away from Bakura, like everyone else did. The Millennium Ring might have had something to do with that of course, but even that didn't force Ryou to love Bakura, although it did mean that Bakura was supposed to protect Ryou - and he did. Bakura had made sure that by now he had a monopoly of abuse as far as the beautiful, slightly effete boy was concerned.   
  
Now however...Bakura's eyes narrowed even further as he considered that maybe he should start changing his tactics. The tomb robber was nothing if not adaptable.   
  
_'What haven't I tried already? I've pushed him to the verge of dying, time and time again, but now physical violence is losing its impact on him. These days he just curls up and focuses on forgiving me without even acknowledging the pain properly. Emotional abuse, like constantly deriding him, is also becoming less effective now that he's stopped...thinking would be the best way to describe it. He won't bear grudges or remind himself of what I've done, he refuses to be bitter or spiteful...all my efforts are useless. He just keeps forgiving me - which means that I have to come up with something unforgivable. Something to harden him, make him lock me out of his heart, make him stop being such a bloody saint, stop being so pure, so innocent, so -' _Bakura abruptly halted in the middle of the street, unaware of the strange looks people were giving him._ 'Yes...that would be perfect...or better yet, Kaiba!'_

Authors Note: Well, hoped you enjoyed it, and if you like it, I'll continue it. *shrugs* I'll let you get to back to what's important now. 


	2. Me Now!

Dabbing the places where his tortured skin had burst open from Bakura's loving ministrations (that's how Ryou thinks of them, the sarcasm that should had accompanied the words missing completely), Ryou emptied the now pinkish water in the stainless steel bowl into the sink, and wincing, refilled it with more water from the kettle. It's a ritual he goes through - one that helps him stay sane/hide his insanity – and each time it seems as fresh and new as the first time he started. 

With each swipe of iodine he made over the awful looking gashes on his skin, he pretended that it was Bakura's hand holding the cloth, Bakura gently placing gauze over them, sticking the gauze down with medical tape, wrapping bandaging material over them…enough material that Ryou should feel mummified, but instead he feels secure, as if the tight constraints were cloud-like and soft…sometimes, when the wounds are at their worst, and Ryou's spirits at their lowest, like today, he whispers to himself.

Soft, kind words, not of apology – when Ryou apologizes, he does it not for himself but for his yami and hence there has been enough of apology – words of love, trust, words that are spoken sincerely and meant not just for that brief moment in time but for all of the elusive happy-ever-after…those are the words that Ryou let fall from his oft-bleeding lips while he worked.

It was easy to fool himself really. Bakura and Ryou look enough alike, the only difference being their height and eyes – and who sees their own eyes except in a mirror? Even minor differences, like the fact that Ryou's hands are often as damaged as the rest of him Ryou can explain away as Bakura having been careless with his knives or something. Some corner of his mind knows the invalidity of those explanations, but the rest of him doesn't care. Anything for his precious illusion, anything for his happy ever after – and it is never hard to lie to yourself if you truly wish to believe something. Bakura's innocence and love for him – Ryou clung to those beliefs with the desperate faith of a lonely child.

Lonely would probably be the most apt word to describe Ryou's situation. One would think that having a yami would shelter him from that dreadful loneliness at least, but Bakura hardly ever spent any time with Ryou at all. Apart from the times that he seemed intent on beating Ryou in a bloody pulp – Ryou once stepped on a blood orange, and the resulting mess was what he imagined he would look like if Bakura ever did kill him – Bakura tended to ignore Ryou. Sure, Bakura would pump Ryou for information on Yugi and his friends, or occasionally order Ryou to fetch him something he wanted (generally tiny little straps of leather which Ryou carefully ignored) but there was no real contact between the two. 

Bakura's soul room was hidden even from Ryou by a clever system of trap-doors and trick walls as having spent several centuries in there gave Bakura more than enough time to design a complex security system, and although Ryou could theoretically access Bakura's room directly due to the door connecting the two, Bakura had managed to seal that off as well. If Ryou even attempted to turn the handle, he would instantly fall unconscious, and stay unconscious, for as long as Bakura chose. 

So is it any wonder, that as he wiped away the markings his yami made, he spoke the words he longs to hear, forgiving Bakura by placing himself in Bakura's position. How he could not forgive Bakura…Bakura who was despite everything his other half? A pretty game of make-believe was what an onlooker might have called it, except it was no game to Ryou, Ryou who knows his only weapon is his ability to forgive and love those that hurt him. Make no mistake, it is a weapon. Ryou knows full-well that his ability to love his yami is painful to Bakura. That's why he won't stop. 

Love hurts – Cupid and Justice are the only blind gods – love makes fools of us all (Ryou finds it amusing someone who isn't in love could still be made a fool of by someone that was ) – all's fair in love and war … love has long been regarded as a devastating destroyer of lives and happiness…Ryou knows that, and desperately wields that only weapon available to him. All he can do regarding Bakura is love him.

It had begun as an act of self-defense – to counter Bakura's lessons in hatred and anger, Ryou had feverishly attempted to love Bakura. To love the teacher who taught him to hate, was an act of supreme desperation, a last-ditch effort to cling to the remnants of himself by resisting Bakura in a manner that could not be stopped, or beaten out of him. Ryou paid for his defiance more dearly than he had imagined, which only proved to him that it was working. Bakura could not stand the idea of Ryou loving him – it meant that all his teachings availed to nothing and that he had failed miserably in his goal to mould Ryou. Worse, it was wearing away at the tomb-robber as well. Leave a rock in a river for long enough, and it will be polished smooth. Assuming that love is a river and Bakura a rock, the idea holds true. Which might account for how Bakura was growing more and more frantic in his efforts to make Ryou hate him. 

Love has a force of it's own as Ryou was beginning to discover. He had already stopped making a conscious effort to love Bakura, but found it coming to him naturally of it's own accord. He found himself watching the way Bakura moved – not so much graceful as with no wasted effort – and automatically forgiving Bakura for everything he does. It drives Bakura wild. Insincerity Bakura would have spotted and known how to deal with, but this honest, open-hearted trust was so suicidal that it left the tomb-robber helpless. 

Bakura knew love could endure many things for it's own sake, but only if it has a hope of being returned – of multiplying. Ryou shouldn't have had that, Bakura had ensured that with every blow he delivered, every cruel word he spoke.

Yet Ryou sits there day after day, healing himself for the umpteen time, humming a quiet lullaby that he pretends is his yami's unspoken apology. If Bakura had been there, he would have thrown something at Ryou, but as he was away, Ryou was free to wrap his arms around himself, and rock back and forth while softly crooning…

'Someday you'll love me too, but until then, I'll love myself for you and pretend that I'm you…'


	3. My Love

Kaiba entered his office then stopped dead, for the simple reason that Ryou appeared to be sitting on his desk. Kaiba blinked, taken back but resolute not to show it.   
  
_There is a vision of beauty in front of me, casually tossing my paperweight from hand to hand. My very expensive, crystalline paperweight,'_ Kaiba mentally added, 'and I did not just think of him as a vision of beauty.'  
  
Bakura pretended to ignore Kaiba's entry into the room, and kept playing with the lethal little trinket that he found. He was relying on Kaiba's inabilty to believe in the supernatural to stop Kaiba from realizing that he wasn't Ryou, since that little discovery would have ruined Bakura's plot entirely.   
  
"Ryou, can I help you with anything?" Kaiba asked, his tone more civil than Bakura had expected considering the circumstances.   
  
"Why, yes you can." Bakura trilled, attempting to sound like Ryou but ending up more Southern-belle then British-sissy. _'Now this is the part where I wish that Ryou had a proper voice, which doesn't involve me accidentally shattering glass while trying to sound like him.' _  
  
"In that case, please be expediate." Kaiba said curtly. "The sooner you state your problem, the sooner I may help you resolve it." _'And the sooner you undrape yourself from my desk and stopping looking like you're waiting for me to ravish you.'_ Kaiba very carefully didn't say. Bakura's eyes narrowed. He had been so sure that Kaiba had been hiding an attraction to his hikari that he hadn't bothered forming an alternate plan if that proved to not be the case.   
  
"Well, Kaiba, you see, it's more of a personal problem." Bakura said smoothly, forcing a flush to his face. Kaiba seemed impassive, but Bakura noted with delight that all traces of impatience had vanished, to be replaced by something he could quite pinpoint. _' Probably curiousity, or maybe he's nervous'_ Bakura judged.  
  
"I doubt that I can help you in that area." Kaiba said dryly, then turned to go. _'This is getting nowhere fast, and the turn that this conversation has taken disturbs me. I do not wish to be his confidant as he babbles about his crush on Yugi...or Honda...or, God forbid, Jounouchi'_ Still, he did feel some pangs about leaving Ryou in his office when he seemed to be so distraught.   
  
Bakura panicked. This was not in the plan. Nowhere did it state that Kaiba would walk on him before he had a chance to entrap the young CEO. He needed to keep Kaiba here, and whatever he did, he'd have to do it now before Kaiba walked out! With that though in mind, he tackled Kaiba just as he was about to move, and knocked him to the ground. _'Good, now I've got Kaiba still, but how do I keep him here? He's stronger than me, and I don't want to damage him permanently else he won't be able to take part in my plan.' _  
  
Kaiba had simply frozen, and wasn't even trying to resist. Bakura assumed it was because Kaiba was in shock, but truth to be told, Kaiba was actually quite comfortable. _' He's so light, and warm. I wouldn't mind staying like this a little longer, but I can't have people thinking that they can knock me over and get away with it.'_ Regretfully, Kaiba attempted to rise.  
  
In desperation, Bakura resorted to the first course of action that came into his head.   
  
Snaking one arm around Kaiba's head, he leaned forward and kissed him.

Author's Notes: Well, here's the second part. The rating will probably jump a bit as soon as I post the third part…or maybe the fourth….

Meteora: I'm glad I could save your sanity, although I warn you that mine disappeared years ago. 

Bookworm85 : wow, my first Yu-Gi-Oh reviewer. The monologue snuck in there because I'm used to writing angst in the first person, so I'm kind of blending styles here. *shrugs* I thought that it was a bit clumsy actually.   


	4. It'll Hurt

_'Please, please kiss back. Please, please please'_ Despite Bakura's mental pleas, Kaiba continued to stay very very still. Bakura applied just a little more pressure, then did what came easiest to him. _'You'd better fucking kiss back or I'll rip your head off, plan or no plan.' _After all, he was much more used to threatening people than begging them. Truth to be told, he enjoyed it more as well.  
  
Getting somewhat desperate, on the grounds that it had been ten seconds already and Kaiba insisted on doing his impersonation of a rock, Bakura gently swiped his tongue across Kaiba's lower lip. No reaction. He tried again, and this time probed gently, to which Kaiba obediently parted his lips. _'Hm, well, at least he's cooperating with me.'_ Bakura thought before getting down to the business of trying to get a postive reaction out of Kaiba, instead of just acquiescence.  
  
Kaiba, however, was busy trying to ignore the sudden assualt of his lips so that he could figure out which mental illness could have caused Ryou to behave in this way. Aggressively tackling people in whom he apparently felt a sexual interest seemed to be completely out of character for the shy boy.   
  
_'This must be Yugi's fault.' _Kaiba was sure. _'I don't know why Yugi would put Ryou up to this, or how Yugi got Ryou to agree, but as the established leader of their little group, this would have to be Yugi's fault. I will most -'_ Kaiba's train of thought was derailed rather effectively by what Bakura thought of as a last resort. _' How does the boy expect me to think if he's-' _Kaiba gasped audibly, bringing a satisfied smirk to Bakura's lips.  
  
_'The bait has been taken. Now all that remains if for me to make sure that the hook is nice and sharp for it's next victim.'_ Bakura paused. _'Perhaps I overextended that metaphor...at any rate, Kaiba will now be more than willing to help out with the next stage.'_ Bracing himself against the taller boys chest, he pulled away from the kiss and turned his head so that his spiky white hair covered most of his visage.   
  
Kaiba's first reaction was to attempt to recapture those soft and skilled lips again, but almost immediately his mind overruled his body. _'If nothing else, iron self-control does come in useful during situations like this.'_ Kaiba mentally praised himself.   
  
Of course, that thought left him as well when Bakura, while moving, accidentally ground against his hips just hard enough for his iron self-control to vanish like a butterfly in an aviary. Bakura smiled enigmatically, well aware of what effect he was having on poor Kaiba.   
  
"Well...I suppose that wasn't bad...Kaiba." Bakura drawled, knowing that the merest hint that he found Kaiba anything short of excellent would arose the other boy's competitive spirit. _'Now let's watch him get upset at the idea that anyone could possibly be better than him...personally, I think that although he isn't the best, he certainly ranks near the top.' _  
  
Kaiba's ice-blue eyes flashed like a crystal reflecting the sun, and a scowl marred that pretty face of his.   
  
"Wasn't bad? I suppose that you think you've had better." Kaiba sneered. Inwardly, he was furious._'Wasn't bad?! Ryou comes into my office, plays with my paperweight, assualts me, then kisses me, and...and... '_ he conveniently forgot the exact reason that he responded to Bakura's kisses _' and when I graciously decide to kiss him back so as he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself, he then judges me as being not bad. I'll show him what exactly I'm capable of.' _Kaiba fumed silently, but Bakura was well aware of the thoughts passing through Kaiba''s head. You didn't need to be a mind-reader to understand what would transpire in his mind; anger, jealousy, inadequacy and a burning desire to prove himself.   
  
Therefore, Bakura wasn't surprised at all when Kaiba suddenly flipped so that their positions were reversed, and kissed Bakura in a manner intended to show who exactly was the dominant one here. _'Perfect, now he's playing into my trap. All I have to do is make sure he enjoys this kiss more than the first, and the stage will be set...must stop using second rate metaphors.'_   
  
Pushing all other thoughts out of his mind, Bakura focused on being as submissive and gentle as possible - a hard task for the thief. Just to ensure that everything was indeed the way he wanted it to be, Bakura pulled away slightly from Kaiba and whimpered in a manner which could either indicate fear - or pleasure. Kaiba apparently took it for the latter, since he pushed Bakura back down against the carpet, and continued with what he had been doing, not lessening his intensity by a whit.   
  
_'Yes, everything is indeed ready..'_ Bakura thought as he idly wondered if his smirk could be felt by Kaiba, who was kissing him very throughly indeed. _'Who would have thought that Kaiba would be hiding such passion for something which desn't involve either his brother or Duel Monsters...this is not something I want to consider him doing with Mokuba.'_  
  
_'I think that I've made my point now. I ought to stop before Ryou asphixates... although I didn't hear him complaining.'_ Somewhat reluctantly, Kaiba disengaged himself from Bakura, who widened his eyes as far as possible, and then gifted Kaiba with his best innocent smile, which still had nothing on Ryou's.   
  
"Now that...was far better dear boy." Bakura said, this time bothring to pitch his voice into Ryou's register. "I must say, I like it a lot better when I'm the submissive one. Taking the lead, like I did the first time tends to bore me. Boys that prove they can dominate me - by force if necessary - are the only kind I'm interested in."   
  
"Really." The one word was delivered in a flat monotone, which damped Bakura's spirits somewhat. In reality however, Kaiba's mind was racing to assimilate this new development. _'By force? I wouldn't expect Ryou to want something so debauched, then again he looks so innocent and untouched while he kisses with the practiced ease of a whore...perhaps there are depths to Ryou that haven't been plumbed yet. Well, at least not by me, although I'm sure there must have been others for him to learn such skill. He does have beautiful skin though, so soft and pale and easy to rip or shred into bloody pieces, and such tiny wrists...they would look beautiful in handcuffs. The idea of him liking such things begins to make more sense now, for it is impossible to deny that it would only enhance certain aspects of his beauty.'_  
  
Not sure this time what Kaiba was thinking, only of what he wanted Kaiba to think, Bakura started to grow worried. _'Come on, take the bait, watch the worm squirm...hm, that might help.' _Bakura wriggled just a little, not enough to make it obvious, but enough to create some friction at least. It was unnecessary though, since Kaiba had decided to take Bakura up on implicit invitation; the wriggle only pushed him into announcing his decision sooner than he otherwise would have.   
  
"Very well then." Kaiba said. "We'll play by your rules."  
  
"Rules? I think that the word you were looking for is 'roles'..."

Author's Notes: Hm, I thought that I put a hint in here as to what would happen next…but since Numa didn't pisup on it, I doubt that anyone else could figure out what I have planned next. *evil grin* I suppose you'll just have to wait and see then :P


	5. Tough Choices

Kaiba remembered every word that Ryou had said. Even the way he dramatically lowered his voice - which struck Kaiba as being suddenly a lot lower than usual; perhaps Ryou had finally hit puberty? - and then just bitten the lobe of Kaiba's ear.  
  
Unfortunately, all that excess information seemed to driven vital knowledge - e.g., how to dress without looking like a complete prat - right out of his head. The first four times he had tried to run down the stairs, Mokuba had started propelling grapes at him, which he rightly took as a sign to go and change.   
  
One might wonder why he was spending so much time selecting an outfit that one would assume was going to be ripped off him anyway. Of course, that would mean that one doesn't know what Kaiba knows. Which is obvious, unless one is Kaiba. But if one were Kaiba, then one wouldn't be wondering...and that is how cyclic chains of reasoning are created.   
  
He eyed himself in the mirror again. _'Perhaps head-to-toe leather is too much after all...it certainly chafes.'_ Unhappily, he removed his outfit again, and went back to the quandary of how to dress in a manner which would not cause mass rioting, yet fit Ryou's strict guidelines. His quest was only complicated by the discovery of _'A piece of string?! What's this doing in my wardrobe...okay, what's elastic-trimmed, lace covered string doing in my wardrobe?'_ It took him quite a while to realize what it was, and even then he was clueless as to what it was doing there. In the end, he just shot it over the stairs at Mokuba, who hopefully wouldn't know what it was either.   
  
After wondering back to his room, nothing struck him. Except the fact that his room was a complete mess of course, but that was nothing new. His usual minimalist tidiness did not extend as far as his private sanctum, where he kept it comfortably messy so that he could hide anytime. Not that Kaiba was scared of anything, and he'd be the first to say that if you asked. Not that Kaiba was a close-to-compulsive liar either though.  
  
At any rate, he seemed to have nothing to wear, a problem which he had previously thought only affected women. After a quick check to make sure that rule HAD been broken, he went back to systematically discarding every item of apparel in his closet.

Author's Note: I apologize for how short this chapter is, but the next one is going to be extra-long to compensate, It's also going to be a dozy :P

Wildwolf: Don't worry, Ryou/Kaiba will appear soon…although you might not be all that happy about how it happens. As for plotting *evil grin* let's just say that I'm not the only one with a plot around here. *pokes Bakura*

Madiszon: You know, it hadn't even occurred to me that I needed to focus more on Ryou? He will have a bigger part in the fifth chapter though. 

Mumei Shoujo: *sigh* I know it wasn't all that well-written, but my main problem is that I'm trying to combine two styles here, and it seems to be somewhat unsuccessful. I'm used to writing in the first person, not third. Plus, the fact that my mind is usually overflowing with plot ideas isn't a big help here. Oh, ad I am quite fond of Yami Bakura, I just think that he isn't the type to like having people fall in love with him, unless he can exploit them.

Unintentional Nightmare: Glad you like the pairing, but I hope you like the story as well.

Stinky Old Far: Since I've only gotten as far as Arcana and his duel with Yugi (side-effect of living in Europe) I realize I might have messed something's up. I would love for you to tell me exactly what I got wrong, so that I may correct it. Just being disdainful is extremely unhelpful. 

Little Brat Yami Bakura: Better and better? I think that 'worse and worse' would be more accurate….for Ryou at least. *evil grin* Ooh, my story made it onto your favorites list? *expression of wonder* thanks!


	6. Chose Me

Beautiful. Trite and overused as the word was, it was the only way to describe Ryou in his present state; Beautiful - and it deserved the capitalization. 

Eyes shut in a deceptively peaceful manner, white hair a fluffy pillow for the minimalist bed; no blankets, just a mattress with a cloth thrown over it. The walls of the room were stained, the wallpaper peeling. In the midst of the dinginess, Ryou shone like a sacrifice, his oiled body gleaming like phosphorescent moss in a dark cave. 

There was nothing to detract from his beauty, no clothing to conceal it, no jewelry to draw the eye away from your translucent skin. Translucent skin not even marred by the bruises that crept over it, like a plague engulfing it's victims. The bruises were blotchy, and wide-spread. They came in every color, fresh red, old green, painful blue, soft purple, and shocking black. No matter where Kaiba's eyes traveled, he could find some. Some sign of recent abuse. However, remembering what Ryou had wanted, they didn't surprise him in the least. Instead, they served to bear silent witness to Ryou's sincerity - Ryou's debauchery. 

The only things on Ryou, besides the network of bruises, were the handcuffs. Not the delicately-wrought silver kind that were worn as jewelry, these were the real deal; heavy iron, dull and ominous, trapping his hands and feet to the sheet in a manner that made the chains connecting them to the legs of the bed completely unnecessary. Down, near the legs of the bed was a cunning setup of cogs and wheels which meant that the chains could be winched tighter, to restrict the amount of movement - or looser, for a sense of false freedom. 

Idly, Kaiba wondered how often Ryou had done this, how old he had been when he fixed all the excess iron on a bed which looked like it was on the verge of collapse - from over-use. How long would it have taken the boy - for that was how Kaiba thought of him, someone strangely immature despite what had transpired in his office- how long to first find out his own predilection for pain and a show of unwillingness, and then how long to convince others to play along. Not too long, he believed, for the words that had been whispered to him yesterday had been too slick, with no shyness or hesitance preventing Ryou from describing it all in lurid detail. Every detail had been taken care of, Ryou's voice sliding over them like a mother telling her children a bedtime story, the soft tone contrasting with the crude, almost vulgar words that Ryou was using to express himself.

That contrast, between appearance and reality, purse and contents was what had hooked Kaiba, what had made him agree to Ryou's proposition. Beauty, after all, although rare was also commonplace, and readily available for people like Kaiba. Ryou, no matter how gorgeous, would have never managed to make Kaiba agree if it hadn't been for those two important factors ; the mystery he presented, and the fact that Kaiba had always been fond of that particular brand of exotic beauty. And now Kaiba was here - ready to do exactly as he had been told, and ever since he had had that first glimpse of Ryou, lying there like an angel about to be forced to fall, he had been more than eager to play the role that he had been assigned by Ryou.

The role of rapist, with Ryou as his  victim.

Left on his own, he wouldn't have known where to begin, which part of Ryou's open body to fondle first, which area of his skin to lick, whether he should wake the boy up at all before he started, or let him gradually come to and feel the sensations of violation. Not that Kaiba was inexperienced by any means, he knew cutprice love as he called the act in his own private lexicon, it was merely that Ryou, lying unconscious before him, was the most unsettling sight  Kaiba had ever laid eyes upon. 

Despite everything, there was something crudely innocent about the contours of his face, the softness of his lips, the relaxed, trusting position he was sprawled in, as if he had drunk the nectar of the gods and found it to be oversweet. Kaiba found it intriguing, and somehow arousing that underneath that virgin exterior lurked someone capable of wanting to be defiled, in the rough, careless manner he had pleaded Kaiba for.

The very instructions which had formerly rankled at Kaiba now seemed to make sense - after all, it was Ryou's body, and this would be Ryou's game - even if Kaiba would supposedly be the agressor, and Ryou the sufferer. Besides, if he did his part well enough, perhaps Ryou would see fit to invite him back. Kaiba chuckled quietly, amused at the fact at though their first session hadn't even begun, he was already hoping for a second. Still, Kaiba knew it would be all he could desire- with his partner restrained and helpless, how could it not be?

Kneeling near the side of the bed, he waited patiently for Ryou to awaken. i'He said that he'd drug himself for the sake of realism...but I can't begin until he awakens. While I'm waiting, I might as well look my share.'/i With that thought, Kaiba gave himself over to perusal of Ryou's body, attempting to remain detached but finding it hard not to admire the pale, slightly defined muscles. i'I wonder if he skates - he has the build for it, slim yet muscular.'/i

Time passed, though nobody could say how long, and finally, Ryou began to stir. 

Watching from the dark corner of the room where he chose to hide himself, Bakura gloated, and shut the link to his hikari tighter than a nun's girdle. He didn't want his light getting any foolish ideas about calling him for help. 

Kaiba shifted the look on his face, hiding the admiration and replacing it with malice. 

i'And now, Ryou, the game may begin.'/i

Author's Note: Look, I posted two parts in one day! *shrugs* The other one was too short to count though so yeah, take this as a peace-offering. And to be quite fair, I'd like to remind you all that I did put an appropriate warning in the summary, and if you want to flame me because you were too feckless to heed it, then it's your stupidity that's revealed, not mine. Oh, and if there are errors in this thing, please, please tell me. I'm terrified of blatantly contradicting canon. 


	7. Betray Me

Ryou's head throbbed, and he barely bit back a groan. 

'Mustn't make any noise in case Bakura is still here. He would be upset to hear me making noises.' Ryou thought in a chastising manner, as if the fault was his that he was hurt, and not his yami's. 'My head really hurts though…but I don't remember hitting it against anything when Bakura hit me…when was that? What time is it? Where am I?' The questions kept coming, making his head throb even more. Helpless, he stopped the deluge of questions which threatened to overwhelm him and let his mind drift back through the events of the day….

~Flashback~

Bakura hitting him, fist making a soft squelchy sound against Ryou's already bruised flesh…Ryou whispering forgiveness, and rousing Bakura's ire by doing so…Bakura storming out…Ryou bandaging himself…managing to drag himself to school…walking slowly around the school so as to disguise his limp…Yugi and his friends asking why he was so much later than usual today (they've already gotten used to him coming in late)… opening his locker to take out his lunch…finding an apple inside it that he could have sworn he hadn't packed himself, but eating it anyway…

Biting into the cold, tart skin of the apple, Ryou winces as the sharp taste floods over his tongue. He doesn't remember packing it last night, but one of the side-effects of Bakura's abuse is that all these small details were becoming unimportant to him. He has an apple, it looked as perfect as the one the tempted Eve, and he's hungry. Ryou can see no reason to question its existence any further, since it could have rolled in, or he could have placed it there and forgotten about it. For some reason, it tastes somewhat odd to him, but he had bitten his tongue so hard and so often this morning that he supposes it's possible that they're malfunctioning. Besides, he doesn't really care, obsessed as he is with trying to himself from screaming at how acidic its juice feels. Strangely enough, after he finishes eating it a bitter aftertaste lingers in his mouth, but he dismisses it as his imagination…

~end of flashback~

'I vaguely coming home, and drinking half a glass of water that was conveniently placed on the kitchen countertop…which is strange since I tidied away before I went to school unless Bakura had come home, drunk some water and then not bothered clearing up…it would be like him. That's about all I remember, everything else is just a blank.  Still doesn't explain why I'm here though…wherever here is…and why my arms feel so cold…not to mention heavy.' Ryou gave up on trying to figure out what had happened in the past, and decided to focus on the future. 'Might as well find out where here is…and what I'm doing here. I haven't heard any movement at all while I've been lying here so it must be safe to open my eyes now…'

The first thing Ryou saw when he opened his eyes was the cracked and peeling wallpaper. The second, the handcuffs and chains trapping his arms to the raggedy mattress that he was lying on. The third? Seto Kaiba's blue, merciless eyes. 

Author's Notes : Hm, I realize that this doesn't really fit in with the rest of the chapters and most of it could come near the front. In fact, I really ought to split this into two separate chapters, and post one as the second chapter since it's too contemplative…I think I will!   Except then I'll have to go through it and change the tenses *groans* that's going to be a lot of work…oh well, no work no gain. There, I've done it so everyone go and check chapter two NOW! I command you to…please? And I'm going to be away in France for a week or so, so I can't update until Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Wildwolf: Yup, you're 100% correct. Ryou has no idea of what that evil Bakura has got planned…or more correctly, what Kaiba believes that Ryou planned for himself. *evil grin* Oh, and don't let Chibi stop you from assaulting people with grapes; it's great fun. Happy throwing!

NASA: I am pleased with your report, and shall attempt to abide by your regulations! 

Darkworld: *blinks* You don't have to be gay to like yaoi/slash, I personally consider myself to be closer to asexual than anything else…and yes, Bakura pretended to be Ryou so that he could make Kaiba think that Ryou wanted Kaiba to rape him (Ryou, not Bakura) …wow, that is kind of a complicated plot *is impressed with the people who understood it*

Mumei Shoujo: nasty? I'd call him clever really...although in a very nasty way.

Little Brat Yami Bakura: well, I like stopping at cliff-hanger endings because else the story might get boring…besides, that way I stay motivated to continue. Hope this chapter came out soon enough, but you'll have to wait a week or so for the next one.

Queen of Darkness: Bakura is an evil person who is scared witless. That's what drove him to it. *evil grin* well, that and the fact that Ryou looks good in handcuffs ;-)

Allenby: Damned with faint praise, huh? It was meant to be disturbing in any case… and I wouldn't count that as flame anyway. I know what real flames are like.

Madiszon: Look, you got your wish! I did this chapter from Ryou's POV like you requested. The new second chapter is also from his POV, so go chek it out. Oh, and yeah, Bakura did set it all up. He's an evil genius *evil grin* no wonder I adore him so much.

Now remember everyone, I am going to be in Paris for a week so do not expect any updates for a while!


End file.
